Device for clamping parts, in particular metal sheets, in a welding or mounting line

ABSTRACT

A device for clamping parts, in particular metal sheets, in a motor vehicle mounting line, has a console, a support for the parts that may be secured on a top stop of the console, and a pneumatic clamping device that actuates a pressure piece that can be clamped against the parts mounted on the support. In order to obtain a console made of a few components with various spatial positions of the clamping point between the support and the pressure piece, at its base the console has a clamping block and a centering piece for a stay that can be secured thereon, and the top stop acts with its bottom side as a centering element for the stay that can be secured thereon.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention pertains to a device for clamping components witha bracket, a support that can be fastened to an upper abutment of thebracket for the components, and a pneumatic tensioner, which is held atthe abutment of the bracket and actuates a pressure piece that can betensioned against the components located on the support. The componentsare in particular metal plates within a motor vehicle assembly line.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Such devices are used especially in the manufacture of bodies in theautomobile industry to automatically clamp metal plates to be welded toone another. A plurality of such devices are arranged within an assemblyline. Each of these devices must be designed according to the necessaryspatial arrangement of the metal plates to be clamped. This isexpensive.

SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the present invention is therefore to improve adevice of the class described in the introduction such that the bracketcan be manufactured from a few components according to various spatialarrangements of the clamping site between the support and the pressurepiece.

This object is accomplished by the bracket having a clamping frame onthe foot side and a centering piece for a prop that can be fastenedthereto and by the abutment being provided on the underside with acentering for the prop that can be fastened thereto. The bracket of thedevice is manufactured according to the present invention from aplurality of prefabricated components. The components may be arrangedand aligned in relation to one another such that the clamping sitebetween the support and the pressure piece assumes the actuallynecessary position. In particular, the prop may be manufactured from asemifinished material, which is cut to the needed length. All this leadsto a substantial simplification of the manufacture and to a reduction ofthe costs associated with it.

The clamping frame should preferably have a vertical junction surfacefor the centering piece. The centering piece for the prop can thus befastened to this vertical junction surface in different angularpositions, so that the prop can be aligned, if needed, not onlyvertically, but also at an angle to the vertical.

In combination with this or independently from this, the clamping framemay also have a junction surface sloping against the vertical for thecentering piece, so that there is an additional degree of freedom forthe arrangement of the centering piece.

For embodiments in which the alignment of the prop remains unchanged,the clamping frame and the centering piece may also have a one-piecedesign.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the prop is a pipe,especially precision steel pipe. To center this pipe, the centeringpiece and the abutment should have centering surfaces, which extend inparallel to the longitudinal axis of the prop or the pipe.

The various features of novelty which characterize the invention arepointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming apart of this disclosure. For a better understanding of the invention,its operating advantages and specific objects attained by its uses,reference is made to the accompanying drawings and descriptive matter inwhich preferred embodiments of the invention are illustrated.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side view of a device for clamping components;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the object according to FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic side view of another embodiment of the objectaccording to FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the object according to FIG. 3.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The device shown in the drawing is used to clamp metal plates within amotor vehicle assembly line. In its basic design, it comprises a bracket1, which can be fastened to a foundation, not shown, and carries on thetop side an abutment 2, on which a support 3 for the components 4 to beclamped is fastened. A pneumatic tensioner 5, which actuates a pressurepiece 6 tensioning the components 4 against the support 3, is fastenedto the abutment 2 on the side.

In the embodiment shown, the bracket 1 comprises individual componentsconnected to one another, namely, a foot-side clamping frame 7, acentering piece 8, a prop or stay 9, and a centering 10 for the prop 9joining the abutment 2 on the underside.

In the exemplary embodiments shown, the prop 9 comprises a precisionsteel pipe, which is cut to the needed length. The centering piece 8 andthe centering 10 of the abutment 2 have centering surfaces 11, which areadapted to the diameter of the prop 9 and extend in parallel to the axisof the pipe. All the components described so far may be screwed togetheror welded to one another.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the clamping frame 7 and thecentering piece 8 form a single component. The centering surfaces 11 ofthe centering piece 8 and of the centering 10 at the abutment 2 extendin the vertical direction, so that the bracket 1 is aligned vertically.

In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the clamping frame 7 and thecentering piece 8 are components that are independent from one another.The clamping frame 7 has a vertical junction surface 12, to which thecentering piece 8 can be fastened in different angular positions. Theclamping frame 7 additionally has another clamping surface 13, which issloped against the vertical and to which the centering piece 8 mayoptionally likewise be fastened in different angular positions.Correspondingly, the bracket 1 may be aligned in space already at thetime of the manufacture of the device according to the spatial positionof the clamping site between the support 3 and the pressure piece 6.

The features described in the abstract, the patent claims, thedescription and those features presented in the drawing can proveessential both singly and in arbitrary combinations to the realizationof the invention.

While specific embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed in detail to illustrate the application of the principles ofthe invention, it will be understood that the invention may be embodiedotherwise without departing from such principles.

    ______________________________________                                        APPENDIX                                                                      List of Reference Numbers                                                     ______________________________________                                                 1   Bracket                                                                   2    Abutment                                                                 3    Support                                                                  4      Components                                                             5      Pneumatic tensioner                                                    6      Pressure piece                                                         7      Clamping frame                                                         8      Centering piece                                                        9      Prop                                                                   10    Centering                                                               11    Centering surfaces                                                      12    Junction surface                                                        13    Sloped junction surface                                        ______________________________________                                    

I claim:
 1. A clamping device for clamping metal plate components alongan assembly, the device comprising:a prop with a longitudinal axis; anabutment on one end of said prop, said abutment including an abutmentcentering means for aligning the position of said abutment with saidprop to provide an abutment and prop alignment and for fastening saidabutment with said prop based on said abutment and prop alignment, saidabutment centering means having a centering surface extending inparallel to said longitudinal axis; a support connected to saidabutment, said support providing a supporting surface for the metalplate components; a pneumatic tensioner connected to said abutment andhaving a pressure piece, said pneumatic tensioner tensioning saidpressure piece against the metal plate components on said support; aclamping frame positioned at another end of said prop, said clampingframe having a foot for mounting on a foundation; a foot centering meansconnected to said clamping frame and said prop for aligning said prop toprovide a clamping frame and prop alignment and for fastening saidclamping frame with said prop based on said abutment and prop alignment,said foot centering means having a centering surface extending inparallel to said longitudinal axis of said prop.
 2. A device inaccordance with claim 1, wherein:said clamping frame has a verticaljunction surface for connecting with said foot centering means.
 3. Adevice in accordance with claim 1, wherein:said clamping frame has ajunction surface angularly spaced from vertical for connecting with saidfoot centering means.
 4. A device in accordance with claim 1,wherein:said clamping frame and said foot centering means are made inone piece.
 5. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein:said prop isa pipe.
 6. A device in accordance with claim 2, wherein:said prop is apipe.
 7. A device in accordance with claim 3, wherein:said prop is apipe.
 8. A device in accordance with claim 4, wherein:said prop is apipe.
 9. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein:said footcentering means aligns said prop with said foot clamp in a predeterminedposition.
 10. A device in accordance with claim 1, wherein:saidcentering surfaces of said abutment and foot centering means are incontact with said prop.
 11. A device in accordance with claim 1,wherein:said foot clamping frame has a junction surface; said footcentering means has a junction surface connectable with said junctionsurface of said foot clamping means in a plurality of positions.
 12. Adevice in accordance with claim 11, wherein:said junction surfaces ofsaid foot clamping means and said foot centering means are flat.
 13. Adevice in accordance with claim 12, wherein:said prop is cylindrical;said foot centering means aligns said prop with said foot clamp in apredetermined position; said abutment centering means aligns said propwith said abutment in a predetermined position; said centering surfacesof said abutment and foot centering means are in contact with said propwherein said prop may be exchanged with a similar prop of a differentaxial length based on said centering surfaces.
 14. A clamping device forclamping metal plate components along an assembly line, the devicecomprising:a prop with a longitudinal axis; an abutment on one end ofsaid prop, said abutment including an abutment centering means foraligning the position of said abutment with said prop to provide anabutment and prop alignment and for fastening said abutment with saidprop based on said abutment and prop alignment, said abutment centeringmeans having a centering surface extending in parallel to saidlongitudinal axis; a support connected to said abutment, said supportproviding a supporting surface for the metal plate components; apneumatic tensioner connected to said abutment and having a pressurepiece, said pneumatic tensioner tensioning said pressure piece againstthe metal plate components on said support; a clamping frame positionedat another end of said prop, said clamping frame having a foot formounting on a foundation; a foot centering device connected to saidclamping frame and said prop for aligning said prop to provide aclamping frame and prop alignment and for fastening said clamping framewith said prop based on said abutment and prop alignment, said footcentering means having a centering surface extending in parallel to saidlongitudinal axis of said prop, said centering surfaces providing saidabutment and prop alignment and said clamping frame and prop alignmentallowing supports of different lengths to be interchanged to vary adistance between said abutment and said clamping frame while maintainingsaid abutment and prop alignment for a predetermined abutment and saidclamping frame position.
 15. A device in accordance with claim 14,wherein:said clamping frame has a vertical junction surface forconnecting with said foot centering means.
 16. A device in accordancewith claim 14, wherein:said clamping frame has a junction surfaceangularly spaced from vertical for connecting with said foot centeringmeans.
 17. A device in accordance with claim 14, wherein:said clampingframe and said foot centering means are made in one piece.
 18. A devicein accordance with claim 14, wherein:said prop is a pipe.